


Sensory Sunday

by AutumnsWitch13



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: A friend looked at the last chapter, Android!EOS, EOS has tattoos, EOS is Beautiful and Terrible, Gen, John and EOS have a wholesome relationship, John doesn't do hugs, Not Beta Read, gratuitous Homer references, gratuitous mythology references, mood bracelet, self-indulgent woodland themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24575068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnsWitch13/pseuds/AutumnsWitch13
Summary: Fics for Gumnut Logic's sensory sunday event. EOS in her android body experiencing the world.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EOS sees the stars from Earth for the first time.

EOS had seen stars before. Of course she had, she lived amongst the stars. But it wasn't the same as seeing them from the surface.  
"I thought you'd be out here."  
She didn't turn, she already knew who it was, she'd tracked his footsteps up from the lounge. John sat next to her.  
"Where's Alpha Centauri?"  
She pointed to the star. "At least make it a challenge."  
"You've already memorised the entire night sky, I don't think I can challenge you EOS."  
They sat in silence staring at the glorious spread of stars above.  
"I never really understood," EOS began, unsure if talking was quite appropriate. "Why you loved them so much. When you're up there they seem less beautiful. I see why humans have always been enchanted by the night sky."  
"No matter where you are on Earth there are always stars above you."  
"It's the one constant you have."  
They sat in silence for a little longer. She wondered if she should wait but instinct (and analysis) told her now would be better.  
"I want a tattoo."  
John's silence of well over 3 seconds indicated he was at least a little bit surprised.  
"What do you want a tattoo of?"  
"Maybe Perseus, or Sagittarius, or Scorpio. Across my shoulders."  
She looked over to see John smiling that indulgent little smile.  
"What? Isn't it human practice to customise your bodies?"  
John laughed. "Yeah, it is. Virgil said he needed a new project to work on."  
She stood up, the joint in her knee sticking slightly and she sent a memo to Brains to schedule a full systems check up.  
"It's past your bedtime John."  
"Thank you, but I'm allowed to stay up late."  
"Don't fall off the roof."  
"I won't. Have fun at work."

When she was back up in Five, she looked down at the earth below her, a swirl of white and blue. John was down there, probably trying to find her in the sky.


	2. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EOS prepares for Lady Penelope's Summer Ball.

EOS was very aware that she experienced the world differently. Her body was an incredible feat of engineering, but it did have the occasional breakdown. The incident with the bull shark for example.  
She smoothed her skirt out, the fabric of her dress was silky beneath her fingers, and she marvelled at how attuned her sensors were, and that humans were born like this.   
She turned in front of the full length mirror, watching the glimmer of rhinestones beneath the finest layer of silk. The beads clinked with her movement and she could feel them brushing her waist. Her hair had been carefully arranged in a loose twisted bun. It had taken Penelope's stylist five minutes alone to ease strands out of the style to fall prettily over her shoulders. She twisted to see the spray of stars across her back. She had already planned three more tattoos, she just hadn't told anyone about it yet. Would it matter? She'd probably end up with a whole new body in a couple of years anyway.  
The bracelet on her wrist glowed green for a moment, it ruined the look but she was loathe to part with it. She turned off the emotion display so it appeared to any casual observer to be a normal pearl bracelet.  
Somebody knocked on the door.  
"EOS?"  
"Come in! What do you think?"  
John cast his critical gaze over her outfit, then his face broke into a soft smile.  
"You look beautiful."  
"You look...nice."  
John rolled his eyes. "I get out of my uniform and all you can say is nice? Maybe we need to work on your complimenting skills."  
She closed her door behind them and locked it.  
"I'm surprised you can still get out of your suit in your old age."  
"I'm 26."  
EOS gently straightened his lapels as Kayo's door opened.  
"You look gorgeous Kayo."  
"Thanks EOS, you look stunning. Have you seen my date?"  
"End of the corridor, pacing nervously."  
Kayo strode off in the indicated direction.  
John waited until she had turned the corner then put his hands on EOS's shoulders, they were warm and light and comforting.  
"I'm really proud of you, you know that don't you?"  
"I know."  
For a moment she thought he'd hug her but he let go and offered his arm.  
"Let's get this over with, shall we?"  
"I thought you loved Penelope's Summer Ball."  
"You know I do."  
EOS laughed. "Meet in the library in half an hour?"  
"You're assuming I'll let you out of my sight?"  
"Whatever happens, library in half an hour. Deal?"  
"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying these, please leave a comment x


	3. Smell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EOS takes a walk in the woods.

EOS had declared that being able to smell was not vital. Brains, however, had disregarded that particular memo and given her a sense of smell anyway.  
Secretly, she was glad. Especially now.

  
It was early and she was alone, she knew she wouldn't get lost but she'd left John a note and kept her tracker on, just in case. (Technically she shouldn't be able to turn it off but it was child's play to get around those particular safeguards).  
The path was spongy under her boots, the air was crisp and cool and everything was very green. A thin, pale mist hung between the trees in wisps.   
And it smelt green.  
It was the only way she could describe it.  
It was, at once, earthy and light, it smelt of leaves and dew and bark. It smelt of pale golden shivelight, of moss and of the earth.  
She loved the woods around Penelope's estate, there were never any people here, not at this time of the morning, the dawn chorus still echoed through the trees.  
Occasionally she would get a waft of honeysuckle.  
It was unequivocally her favourite smell.  
If she could she would bottle it and wear it forever.

  
Floral perfumes, she always though, were horrible chemical concoctions. The perfume section of Penelope's favourite fancy department store was suffocating, it overwhelmed her senses so much she had to short-circuit her system. John hadn't been happy. The perfumes never smelt quite right, they smelt as if they were trying too hard.  
The earthy green smell mixed with the warm, sweet scent of honeysuckle was effortless. She wanted to grow honeysuckle, it would be different by the sea and it wouldn't be as nice as the woods but maybe the fresh salty tang could be persuasive.

  
She loved her job, she loved Five and the ultra-modern villa but smell of the woods in the morning always made her long to be able to lie until the moss and flowers covered her body.


	4. Taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EOS investigates taste.

There was such a thing as an artificial sense of taste but EOS had no need for it. She wondered if she was missing out on something but it would be a waste, she didn't need to eat.

She clasped her hands together on the table and leant forward. This question had been bothering her for a while.   
"How do you know what a foot tastes like?"  
"Feet taste like they smell." Alan said, with the air of an expert.  
Gordon, who had just entered the kitchen, opened his mouth only to be intercepted by Virgil, who was just leaving.  
"If you say the words foot fetish you die."  
EOS knew Alan would not have heard and she was quite certain that she wasn't supposed to have heard either.  
"How many feet have you eaten?" She asked.  
Alan laughed. Virgil had Gordon in a headlock now.  
"None, but I've bitten, like, three, so I know what feet taste like."  
Gordon was forcibly removed from the room.  
Kayo, who had been watching the struggle with cool disinterest, turned the conversation back to food.  
"This one doesn't taste quite like it smells," she took a bite and Alan winced.  
"It's super spicy."  
"Your mouth feels like it's overheating, but it has these sweet undertones."  
"It feels like Satan poured hellfire into your mouth."  
"You're a coward."  
"You're insane."  
EOS pushed the cookies further away and reviewed her notes.  
"So most things smell and taste the same, but some things smell good but are poisonous, and some things smell absolutely terrible but taste really good."  
"It's not exact." Kayo said with a shrug.  
"Nothing's exact."  
"Are you thinking about getting tastebuds?"  
"I don't think Brains would be too happy if I asked him to install a digestive system."  
"You don't need a digestive system," Alan said. "Just the tastebuds."  
"You mean I should go around licking things to find out what they taste like." Next to her, Kayo facepalmed.  
"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."  
John practically bounced down the last step and took his headphones out.  
"John! EOS wants tastebuds so she can lick things!"  
John rolled his eyes, a skill EOS had yet to perfect.  
"As long as you're not licking anything corrosive I don't see the problem. Gordon and Virgil are wrestling upstairs by the way."  
"Drama!" Alan was up and away to heckle. John sat down in his place.  
"How's your research going?"  
"Really well."  
She passed her notes over and he scrolled through.  
"Do you want tastebuds for Christmas?"  
The bracelet on her wrist glowed and she hid it under the table.  
"Actually I wanted something else for Christmas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little later, been stressfully flat hunting. Thanks for reading, please comment x


	5. Hear

The silence was making her nervous. EOS wasn't often nervous, but these were very different circumstances.  
If this went wrong (very wrong) she could die. The chances were thousands to one but there was still a chance.  
 _John has me backed up. I'll be fine._  
A high piercing whine started somewhere and a cool female voice said "Preliminary systems engaged."  
The world around her lit up and she took control of the system.  
"Status?"  
"Pr-preliminary systems are st-stable, granting a-acess to secondary systems."  
One by one, so not to overwhelm her, the rest of the systems came online.

  
She was used to sounds, the hum of Five's life support, the squeak of her camera on its rails, John's voice. This was different. She could hear the whine of the joints in her fingers as she moved them. She could hear John and Brains discussing the numbers on the screens. She could hear Alan and Gordon shouting in the kitchen, the waves crashing against the rocks, the birds singing in the trees.  
Cautiously, she removed anything that wasn't necessary, so only John and Brains' voices were audible.  
"Audio speech check."  
"Check."  
"Visual check."  
This was how they saw the world?  
"Check."  
"Okay, let's run the movement tests and see what we need to work on. Ready?"  
"F.A.B."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I've really enjoyed writing these, please leave a comment x


	6. Sixth Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BONUS CHAPTER! EOS is a little strange.

Lady Penelope had once said that Cassandra would suit her better, and although she had argued that Sybil or Pythia would be a little more accurate, Cassandra would have been most appropriate considering the events of the last twelve hours.

She looked like an old god.

Her hair shone like fire in the rising sun.

Her dress fluttered around her, torn and dirty from her efforts in the ruins.

She looked small on the shore, but she looked untouchable.

The rosy fingers of the dawn slid over her pale form, bathing her in light.

She couldn't see the future, but she could carefully analyse of all probable outcomes and predict the most likely scenario. She had access to everything Five saw, her sensors were far more advanced than human senses and she could process the information thousands of times faster than a human could. She supposed that it might look as if she was reacting to things before they happened to humans.

Penelope watched her from afar.

She'd never wished that she could capture a moment in time so much.

She didn't believe in magic and she didn't believe in higher powers.

But for a moment, on the shore of the lake, she could have sworn that the old gods were real.

Scott had said once that she made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He couldn't really explain why, he'd said that maybe it was because she wasn't human, or because she seemed so human but he knew she wasn't. Whatever it was, her presence never failed to creep him out.

She'd been different in the ruins.

He knew how she acted on missions, he knew how she acted on downtime.

There had been something unworldly about her, something beautiful and terrible, of everything he had seen tonight that had scared him the most.

Whatever it was had faded, but she still wasn't right.

She was ethereal.

The dawn washed over her and she listened to the birds, the soft whisper of the wind through the grass, and the lapping of the waves. She felt the sand and stones under her bare feet, the water gently kissing the tips of her toes. The air smelt clear, not the mould and rot of the ruins. She charted the sun's path into the sky and where the stars were behind its light. Scott and Penelope were standing up on the bank, she didn't need to look to know that they were watching her.

Homer had described the dawn with rose-red fingers.

The red on her hands was nothing so delicate, but it was still beautiful in its own twisted way.

She turned from the sun, and it shone as a halo around her.

She was EOS.

She was the dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo and then cursed so that nobody believed her predictions.  
> The Pythia was the head priestess at the temple of Delphi, also known as the Oracle of Delphi.  
> Sybils were prophetesses.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading xxxx


End file.
